The Latest in Surge Protection Technology

Categories: Electrical Services, Tips for Your Home

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Power surges have always existed, but the need for effective surge protection is much greater than ever today. The reason is simply because the number of electronic devices in the home are greater than ever and those devices typically incorporate circuitry and microprocessors that are highly sensitive to voltage fluctuations. Power surges are transient spikes in voltage that usually last only a few millionths of a second but can permanently damage vulnerable electronics.

Surges may result from sources like lightning strikes or spikes in voltage due to widespread events on the grid—such as when normal power is restored after a blackout. Power surges may also originate entirely within the house when a large appliance drawing high amounts of amperage switches on or when a malfunction such as a short circuit occurs. Effective home surge protection technology requires a two-tiered approach.

Service Entrance Protection

These are “whole house” surge protection devices installed by a professional electrician at your main electrical panel or at the meter. They constantly monitor incoming utility power to protect all devices in your home against power surges that occur on the grid. Today, a service entrance protection device typically includes connections for phone lines and cable TV and satellite dish lines, too, to guard against surges entering the house on these systems.

Point Of Use Protection

These are the familiar plug-in suppressors utilized to protect individual devices such as home entertainment technology, computers and network equipment like routers. A point of use surge suppressor protects only the single device plugged into it and offers no protection to other devices in the house.

You Need Both

For comprehensive surge protection, both types of suppressors should be utilized. Though service entrance protection safeguards grid power, it doesn’t protect against fluctuations that occur due to sources inside the house. For that, plug-ins are required. On the other hand, plug-ins alone are not rated to protect against severe surges from external sources like lightning or utility fluctuations, so service entrance protectors are necessary, as well.